


Begin Again

by ReturnToZero



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Competitiveness, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, IDK I am sort of winging this as I go along, Kokichi is a bit of a dumb dumb, M/M, Other, Oumoron, Pokemon AU, Strong Language, Sumb, Will add tags as the story progresses, a touch of angst, hopefully will have slice of life, jkbfskj, or more fluffy than angst, oumasai, pokemon battles, saiouma, slow burn?, so hopefully it turns out okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-30 15:10:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15754239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReturnToZero/pseuds/ReturnToZero
Summary: “Hey..." Kokichi jumped at being addressed, but was then forced to wait for what felt like a millennium to finally hear the rest of that sentence—"What was your name again?”Never had Kokichi ever wanted to kill a man. To be honest, he disliked Pokemon battles as well, and maybe in another lifetime he would stick to his pacifist ideals, become a Pokemon coordinator or something.But at that moment, he really wanted to punt a bitch.





	1. Frustration

**Author's Note:**

  * For [megastarstrike](https://archiveofourown.org/users/megastarstrike/gifts).



> **TM21: An attack that is stronger if the TRAINER is disliked.**

Kokichi Ouma had always basked in the stage lights.

 

 

He had been groomed since childhood to love the limelight, to put on a wide bright smile just for the crowd and the fans. Here, at the Dome Arena, he would make all his battles glorious and epic. To do otherwise would be a disgrace to the Dome Ace title, one thrust upon him at the disappearance of his father.

 

 

Yet ever since that fateful day, Kokichi Ouma has never lost a single battle.

 

 

It was quite boring to be honest, waiting for another delusional trainer who dared challenge him. All his fights ended the same way, with nothing but roars from the crowd chanting his name while he dismantled the pride of his opponent. Yet he was revered by all, a prodigy at the ripe age of fifteen with a perfect record.

 

Today was simply another boring day.

 

 

The poor trainer across from him shrunk at his loss, tears already welling up in his purple eyes as Kokichi’s talent showed the disparity between their levels. Confetti filled the air and Kokichi felt his nasty streak coming back as the fans seemed to be screaming their lungs out over another flawless victory—

 

 

“Nishishi!” He laughed, hiding his evil smile behind a lithe hand, “Aren’t you embarrassed? Everyone’s watching!”

 

 

He moved with a flourish, gracefully turning to the crowd to soak up the energy from his audience. Again, his harshness only egged on the crowd, and he felt like he was king of the world. Kokichi could barely hear his own heartbeat over their ferocity, and in an instant the idiot loser was escorted off the stage, yelling and screaming that he’d come back to kick his ass.

 

 

Kokichi smiled out, waving like the diva he was while holding back his laughter—

 

 

He felt like his life was over already.

 

 

It was true. He had already achieved so much at such a young age. He was the youngest ever Frontier Brain. He had paid off two homes already and filled them with anything he could ever want. Toys, games, food— nothing was too expensive for Kokichi Ouma. Kokichi got respect and admiration, his fans he lovingly called DICE regularly made blog posts about him and showered him in gifts.

 

 

But nothing was really ever fun anymore. Even pummeling some loser trainer into the ground and proving his superiority was starting to become stale.

 

 

And as he skipped off the stage he wondered, was this all he ever was going to be? Just stuck as the Dome Ace, doing the same old dance and charade that everyone loved? Living a boring boring life where he could do nothing but win? It would certainly explain why his dad just up and left without any word.

 

 

Sure, no matter how many lies and farces he put up, it still didn’t change anything. He still missed his dad, wanted an explanation or a proper reason. Yet he was stuck, stuck with the memories and the title. Hell, even the pokemon he used was left behind for him to maintain the title. Did his father really hate them that much to abandon everything?

 

 

Kokichi can already feel the tears burning behind his eyes, yet he smiled and blinked them away. Of course, the perfect opportunity arose just at that moment—

 

 

“Dome Ace, you have another challenger waiting for you now.”

 

 

Kokichi was surprised at the news, another one? That was mighty unusual, especially since he knew that the only other entry for the day was done thirty minutes ago. And if he did the math…

 

 

_It didn’t add up._

 

 

Defeating seven opponents in thirty minutes meant that each match ended in about four minutes. He scoffed, maybe it was time to weed out some of the inferiors. His assistant handed him a tablet with the information of his opponent and their battle style based on the Pokemon entered—

 

 

_Shuichi Saihara._

 

  1. __Snorlax__
  2. _Piloswine_
  3. _Kingdra_



 

 

He figured that he should just use this battle to let off a little steam. Kokichi had been good all day, might as well really lay the smackdown. He put on a happy face and bounced back towards his stage.

 

 

And so began another show, as the roar of the crowd hit his ears and nearly made him deaf. He ran all across the arena, stopping to get sections of the audience to scream his name and cheer for him. He only caught a glimpse of the trainer across from him, snickering at his quiet and closed off demeanor. Must be some newbie who wandered in, clearly the guy has very little stage presence. Kokichi’s smile only continued to grow, this should be an easy win.

 

 

“Do you hear it? This crowd! They're all itching to see our match!”

 

 

The crowd screamed once more at the bait and Kokichi spun in place, once again showing off for the crowd. His attention finally returned to the trainer across from him and he posed dramatically with a hand on his face and the other reaching to his enemy—

 

 

“I bet you're twitching all over from the tension of getting to battle me! But don't worry about a thing! I'm the star of the Battle Dome!”

 

 

Yet he found it strange that the other trainer never looked him in the eye. He looked downright uncomfortable like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. The brim of his black hat completely obscured his face, keeping their eyes from ever meeting.  


 

It pissed Kokichi off.

 

 

It was a real honor to lose to him. People loved him, would do anything for him. So to be ignored by some random guy was sort of irritating. Disrespectful even. **_Bet he doesn’t even know how annoying it was to be forced to do all this. At least play along, for fuck’s sake._ ** He would end this if that’s how he wanted to be.

 

 

“I, Kokichi Ouma, the Dome Ace, will bathe you in a brilliant glow! Your strategy! Let's see it! I want you to do your best against me!”

 

  
  
His grandeur is met with silence. The seemingly mute opponent only continued to grate on his nerves, and Kokichi had trouble keeping a bright smile on.

 

 

The fight began with the usual limitations, they had their three pokemon visible to one another before the match but would be able to select only two for the match. It was a subtle mind game before the fight, to which Kokichi never seemed to lose at.

 

 

Kokichi tossed the ball underhanded, wondering what exactly Shuichi is going to choose for his first Pokemon—

 

 

Piloswine and Salamence have a stare down on the arena.

 

 

Kokichi internally grimaced, already a bad matchup. He just had to hope that he could do some nasty damage before that Piloswine could take him out with an ice beam.

 

  
  
“Use Hidden Power!”

 

 

Salamence does as told and Kokichi smirked as the dragon unleashed a hefty attack on the fluffball. Piloswine puffed up at the damage dealt, but simply stomped its feet once it regained its bearings. The Piloswine looked back at their trainer, who simply frowned at the unexpected attack, gesturing silently. Piloswine faced it’s opponent once more, shooting out ice from its mouth. Salamence immediately fell once the beam made contact, its weakness to ice making it an easy one hit KO.

 

 

Kokichi returned Salamence to his ball, grimacing at the quiet trainer across from him. The crowd oohed at the loss but it only fueled the Dome Ace to win.

 

  
  
Metagross took the stage with a mighty roar, and Kokichi knows he outsped the quiet trainer—

 

 

“Meteor Mash.”

 

 

A glorious display fills the air as Metagross’s power rained down from above. Piloswine has no chance of survival, and Kokichi’s mood immediately brightened at the sight of the large Pokemon falling over. The crowd erupts into cheers once more and Kokichi can’t help but feed them more sass.

 

 

“Ready for more?” He asked, never taking his eyes off of the annoying guy across from him.

 

 

The other still kept his mouth shut, adjusting his hat as he sends out his next Pokemon—

 

 

Kokichi scowled again at the next matchup, the Kingdra staring down his Metagross. He really was expecting that Snorlax to come out, according to the record on the tablet he relied on that Snorlax a lot.

 

 

Shit. He should have really known that this Kingdra was going to be his ace in the hole, Kokichi should have brought out the Feraligatr. Well, there was nothing he could do now but hope that Metagross could pull through for him.

 

 

Kingdra moved first, drowning the stage in water as Surf struck both Metagross and Kokichi. He waited until the wave passed, his white pants soaked to his thighs. It meant bad luck for the Dome Ace, to have the water come that high on his legs meant that Metagross probably sustained the maximum surf damage.

 

 

His heart clenched as he watched his Pokemon struggle to get back to its legs. He wished that he could go hug the big oaf of a Pokemon but that didn’t go with the style he presented. No, he was supposed to be confident and unwavering—

 

 

He grit his teeth, feeling the fear of failure begin to settle in his stomach, “Metagross, use Psychic!”

 

 

Kingdra cried out as the attack landed, the red eyes screwing shut in pain as a purple glow surrounded his head. Metagross’ shrill cry followed soon after, and Kokichi could tell that Metagross didn’t want to lose either. It took a moment for the water dragon to finally break free from the attack.

 

 

“Wow, a critical attack from Metagross! Our Ace’s determination continues to shine even when things look grim!” The announcer rattled off, Kokichi had nearly forgotten that he was indeed putting on a show.

 

 

He hoped that his face didn’t reflect the dread he felt inside.

 

  
  
That critical wasn’t enough to stop his opponent. The trainer clad in all black simply waved his hand once more, and Kingdra summoned another wave of water. Metagross was taken under the waves once more, and Kokichi braced himself to avoid getting his feet swept out from under him.

 

  
  
Metagross looked worse for wear, and his heart stung with the impending failure. Kokichi clenched his fists, trying to maintain that ever present smile he has to wear. He braved a glance over at his enemy as the water level finally dropped back to normal, still that guy isn’t looking at him.

 

 

It made him want to rip that stupid hat off. He can already feel the anger welling up at this asshole who fucked up his perfect record.

 

  
  
The announcer hissed, “Oh man, looks like Metagross is down and ou—”

 

 

Metagross stood once more, shaky on his legs but still holding on somehow.

 

  
  
Kokichi is shocked. That should have definitely knocked him out, especially since that last Surf seemed even more ferocious than the one before it. Metagross’ eyes meet with Kokichi’s and he realizes what he’s doing. Metagross was making sure he didn’t lose horribly, that if he was going to at least lose it would be kicking and screaming.

 

  
  
“Heh… I really hope you can land a hard one, ok buddy?” Metagross turned back to their opponent, waiting for the command.

 

 

“Hit ‘em again with another Psychic!” He yelled, his heart racing as he prayed for another critical.

 

 

Kokichi frowned as the other trainer finally tilted their head up in surprise. If he had any guess, Kokichi would have thought the other guy was probably shocked that Metagross somehow survived that last hit, damage calculations be damned.

 

 

Kingdra was once again caught in that purple light and Metagross shook as it attacked. Kingdra seemed to pull out of it once more, but faster this time, shaking its head as it readies itself for another attack.

 

The blue dragon shot out an ice beam from its mouth, and Metagross finally goes down as the ice froze over its joints.

 

  
  
And just like that, the match ended.

 

 

The crowd goes wild as the Announcer finally spewed off random gibberish, most likely to continue to hype the audience. Kokichi was only present enough to catch little bits of _record-breaker_ and _trendsetting_ and _inspiring_.

 

 

The confetti dropped and somehow Kokichi doesn’t really know how to deal with it. Still though, it was an exciting match to the spectators, and he’s forced to update this guy’s Trainer card.

 

 

He’s surprised to find it being a foreign Trainer Card, from Johto. Then again it made sense, the Pokemon he used were indeed not native to his continent. He was at a loss for words, he’s never had to say the losing lines and Kokichi found it hard not to scowl at the asshat beside him.

 

 

The Dome Ace stayed quiet, to the point where it was uncomfortable for both of them. “... … … I sorely underestimated you. Consider yourself lucky.”

 

 

The other trainer stayed quiet as well, and Kokichi felt his patience going up in flames.

 

 

“... … … … …”

 

 

Kokichi wanted to rip his hair out and scream, but all he could do was smile and close his eyes so no one would notice the twitch he felt in his left eyelid.

 

 

The loser held out the now updated trainer card, the Tactics Symbol filled in the available space on the card. Under closer inspection, all of his peers’ symbols were filled in as well, at least at the silver level. It really pissed him off.

 

 

Finally, a soft voice startled Kokichi from his anger—

 

 

“Hey..." Kokichi jumped at being addressed, but was then forced to wait for what felt like a millennium to finally hear the rest of that sentence—

 

 

"What was your name again?”

 

 

Never had Kokichi ever wanted to kill a man. To be honest, he disliked Pokemon battles as well, and maybe in another lifetime he would stick to his pacifist ideals, become a Pokemon coordinator or something.

 

 

But at that moment, he really wanted to punt a bitch.

 

 

"Weren’t you paying attention at all during my intro?! I'm Kokichi Ouma, the unstoppable Dome Ace!" Kokichi seethed, his chest and fists burning with red-hot fury.

 

 

Who the hell did this guy think he was? Sure he had lost, but that didn't give him the right to act all high and mighty. Then again he was mentally kicking himself for underestimating him. It wasn’t like him to make such a careless mistake. But still, he gave him a fucking match that had them both hanging from the skin of their teeth.

 

 

But the air changed as soon as Shuichi smiled.  


 

 

Kokichi froze. His opponent's eyes were now visible to him, an eerie gold piercing straight through him. That intense gaze sent a shudder down his spine, one that shook him to the very core. There was something incredibly scary about this guy, and it made Kokichi’s heart pound in his chest, even though he could see the colorful confetti already floating through the air. The smile on his face was one of fascination like he had just discovered a new legendary and was on the brink of capturing it.  


 

"Kokichi Ouma..." Even the hairs on Kokichi's neck pricked at the sudden sound of his voice.  


 

"I'll remember that."

 

 

And with that, the other trainer walked away. The crowd continued to roar, but not for Kokichi. No, they wanted to know who was this mysterious contender, who was this no-name newcomer who burst out on the scene with such an amazing debut?

 

 

Kokichi left the stage without looking back.

 


	2. Skill Swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **TM48: The user swaps special abilities with the target.**

The loss lingered more than Kokichi thought it would. 

  
  
He was still the Dome Ace, still just as fantastical and gaudy as ever. Nothing really changed. He still had DICE, his adoring fans would never be so shallow as to simply leave his groupie over a single loss. (Well, that wasn’t true really. There were those fans who simply followed him for the ‘hype’. He never really thought they were part of DICE though, so losing them was no biggie.) And again he had to cater to that roaring crowd—

 

 

Cue more boring fights one after another. 

  
  
Kokichi didn’t know how, but somehow his job got even more boring. Flawless victories once more, to the point where he’d be bored to tears. Hell, sometimes he didn’t even have to be giving commands, his Pokemon knew how to carry themselves and basically operated on autopilot. 

 

 

And to be honest, he hadn’t stopped thinking about that fateful match. Sure it was awful in the moment, but there was a rush there that he hadn’t experienced in probably… his entire life! A totally new experience of feeling like he could lose at any moment, that he had to certainly pull out all the stops and even then his victory wouldn’t be guaranteed. 

 

 

Shuichi Saihara’s name burrowed into his mind without any mercy.

  
  
Strangely enough though, no matter how many searches he set out or who he tried to contact, no one had heard of the guy. Shuichi Saihara, a complete nobody in terms of the battle scene. He barely even beat the eight gyms in Johto, and had no record of even attempting to fight the Elite Four of his region. This guy was dangerous and mysterious, truly an enigma that came out of the blue. 

  
  
The only other record he had was all generated on the same day, the complete blowout of the silver-ranked Frontier Brains. Every single person fought and lost to the trainer in black. And it was only when he started collaborating with Kiibo that he got any more information—

 

 

“Wait, he actually spoke to you?” Kiibo interjected, his blue eyes sharp with fury. 

 

 

Kiibo was just like him, a young prodigy that was basically made for the Frontier Brain. Ouma was younger though, and therefore superior regardless of what the other said. Still, Kokichi couldn’t help but sympathise with his peer, Shuichi Saihara was a complete ass all talents aside.

 

 

“Uh, yeah. Suuuuuuuper sassy about his words too.” Kokichi pouted before poking his companion in the face—

 

 

The Dome Ace knew this was the perfect opportunity to get on Kiibo’s nerves, “Well, at least he talked to me and not you! I guess this is just more proof that I’m totally better than you!”

 

 

His laugher drowned out any complaints that Kiibo had, nothing was better than gloating afterall.

 

 

“Ugggh! You are the worst! I don’t get why I even talk to you.” And with that Kiibo ran off to his Battle Pyramid with bag in tow.

 

 

Kokichi w as forced to return to his station as well, only to find him face to face with that same idiot loser from before-

 

 

“I told you I’d be back for a rematch!” The oaf huffed and puffed, and Kokichi sent him a deadpan look.

 

 

“Huuuuh? Wow I really need to scrutinize my underlings better if trash like you keeps slipping through the cracks.” 

  
  
Yes, Kaito Momota was a regular at the Dome, to the point where even Kokichi hated it. Really, how dumb did someone have to be to keep on trying and trying when they’ve done nothing to prepare themselves? It was like someone smart once said— Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results was the definition of madness.

 

 

But again, as the Dome Ace he was required to take all challenges seriously.

 

 

_ The timer doesn’t even reach eight minutes when the confetti is released.  _

 

 

Kaito groveled on the floor, punching the stage as he howled about how he was so close. In reality he wasn’t close at all. So what if he got a moment of genius and managed to land some damage on Feraligatr? It was a fluke coupled with a lucky crit. And Metagross got a hint of damage, but it was nothing to write home about. Kaito’s technique was shit and Kokichi could poke so many holes in his strategy. 

 

 

Kaito stood, with that same dumb determined expression on his face that was always there. 

 

  
“Watch, mark my words Kokichi— One day me, the Luminary of the Stars will be the one to add another loss to your record!”

 

 

The Dome Ace cringed at the statement, but quickly switched back to his usual smug smile. That loss from before still made his stomach twist in anger, but at least now he could hide his visceral reactions to the disgrace.

 

  
  
“Sure, dream on. When you’re ready to embarrass yourself more you know where to find me.”

 

 

Kaito is escorted off the stage and the crowd cheers for the display. The footage on one of the large screens showed the highlights of the match once more, and strangely enough that lucky U-Turn Kaito’s Swellow had used on Feraligatr was sort of brilliant. And switching into Pikachu only sealed the deal, as the very next turn his oversized mouse would be able to do some shocking damage.

 

 

But the more Kokichi thought about it, the more he realized that maybe this fight wasn’t like the millions of others that Kaito dragged him through. And if he recalled correctly, Kaito’s Swellow hadn’t even had U-Turn in his move set the last time they battled a few days ago.

 

  
  
Something was fishy and Kokichi didn’t like it at all.

 

 

The Dome Ace sighed, trying to rationalize away his worries. Maybe Kaito actually grew a single brain cell a few days ago and serendipitously figured out a neat technique. Maybe that weird Maki girl finally decided to help with his training. Then again he was fairly certain that she wasn’t a battler, instead choosing to spend her energy breeding Pokemon, since Kaito seemed to insist in public that she was, and many other breeders acknowledged her as if she wa a colleague. Still, her ferocity and if-looks-could kill-then-you’d-be-dead glares seemed to beg to differ. If he had to guess, he would say she was an ex-battler, potentially. 

 

 

The only other explanation to Kaito’s sudden development as a trainer implied that a third-party was involved. How funny would that be, seeing Kaito get tips from someone going to Trainer School! He would certainly would love a photo of that, as blackmail and further proof of his unparalleled strength over the dumb guy.

 

 

Or, maybe Kaito made a new friend that is actually a decent trainer. 

 

 

It shouldn’t matter. He was totally above that pathetic purple guy, so he shouldn’t even be concerned with his fate. So what if he got some tips? He’d still pummel him to the ground with his technique. He had a near perfect record! He just had to never give anyone else an opportunity to defeat him! 

 

 

Yet somehow it he found no comfort in this. That fight with Shuichi really was almost a blowout on his end, right? If it hadn’t been for Metagross’ sheer determination, he would have lost in just a few turns. Shuichi Saihara was truly someone to be feared, and Kokichi could only wonder how many more trainers were out there in the world. How he ranked globally was practically unknown, since he’s only made a major name for himself on the Hoenn scene.  _ Would he even make it out there?   _

 

 

Kokichi sighed, shaking his head, trying to shoo away the strange paranoia that suffocated his thoughts. He resisted for only a minute before he crumbled, bolting towards the Foyer of his Battle Dome in hopes of catching Kaito restoring his Pokemon to full health. When he approached the last hallway he slows down to a saunter, wiping his neck of any sweat that might have accumulated during his hurried trek. 

 

 

He stepped out into the foyer and his jaw dropped.

 

 

Kaito was there, still healing his Pokemon, and flirting with Maki per usual— 

 

 

But Shuichi Saihara was there as well, patting the oaf on the shoulder. 

 

 

“You should have seen it man! Swellow and I were so cool! I did the U-Turn and then Swellow freaking amped it up to 100 by pulling off a crit while he’s coming back down!” Kaito began to complain about Kokichi for about a straight minute, completely getting off track of his ‘epic almost-win’.

 

 

“...” Came the eloquent response from Shuichi, but it was clear that he was indeed listening to Kaito’s rant, the brim of his hat exposing just a sliver of those haunting golden eyes. They were locked onto Kaito, but the guy had the most dead neutral expression he’d ever seen. Even Kokichi’s forced blank face might get out done by it.

 

 

Kaito puffed back up suddenly, in his usual dorky self, “Oh! And I switched into Pikachu since duh, totally had the type advantage over Feraligatr. I mean, that plan couldn’t have gotten better.” 

 

  
  
The lobby room monitors start playing back the highlights from the previous match and Kaito squealed like a schoolgirl, “Look! See! I even got my own highlight!”

 

  
  
“Oh shut up, you know you wouldn’t have been able to get that far without Shuichi helping you.” Maki punctuated with a heavy-handed whack to the back of his head. 

 

 

Kaito immediately crumpled, “Yeah yeah, I know! But I was able to apply something and do it on my own without prompting, so that counts for something, right?”

 

 

Shuichi nodded, the brim of his hat coming back down and covering his eyes once more. But Kokichi could still see the lower half of his face, and he watched as the soft pink lips curled up into a soft smile.

 

 

A gentle voice barely grabbed the attention of the bickering pair. “Hey… maybe we can uhm… … ... celebrate?” 

 

 

The meek reply is nothing like Kokichi had anticipated the asshole to be like. 

 

 

Both Maki and Kaito stare at Shuichi like he grew a third head. Kaito is the first one to snap out of the trance though, beaming as his booming voice made Kokichi wince— 

 

 

“You’re so totally right, sidekick! We should celebrate my small victory today, it’ll be like that quote by Neil Armstrong; This is one small step for Kaito, and one giant step for— !”

 

 

Maki pinched the buffoon in the arm, her face smoothing back to her usual death stare. “You’re being too loud. Besides, you said you weren’t going to take long and you made Shuichi and I starve for you.”

 

 

The trio completely walk past Kokichi without even noticing him, too wrapped up in their own litter conversations and need for sustenance to even spare him a glance.

 

 

Kokichi doesn’t bother to grab their attention though, he figured out this little mystery. Of course it would be Shuichi’s idea to pull off a combo like that. The thought of Shuichi teaching others how exactly to defeat him left a bad taste in his mouth. What an ass, like it was one thing to be talented and prove your worth; but it was another to be a total sellout. (Why would someone like Shuichi even consider spending time with Kaito? It just seemed odd and stupid, and the only way they’d be affiliated is if money was involved, of course.)

 

 

At that very moment, Kokichi decided to end work for the day. He was much too tired to keep up these ridiculous thoughts. 

 


	3. Reflect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **TM33: Creates a wall of light that weakens physical attacks.**

The smell of home cooked food filled the air as he waited at the dining table to be served. Everything was already laid out, a table set for two. Kokichi played with his drink, the lemonade sloshing ever so gently as he pushed the cup onto its corner. His mother was trying to wean him off of sugary carbonated drinks ( _read: grape Panta_ ), so lemonade was her idea of ‘healthier’.

  
  
At least she managed to make it somewhat purple, the bottom of the cup saturated with some butterfly pea flower-tea that she brewed. When topped off with a lemonade she whipped up, it made a cool gradient from purple to yellow. Kokichi still hadn’t tried any, but he figured he’d at least give it a shot.

  
  
He could already tell what dish his mother was preparing. The chili sauce on the counter and the loud sizzle of the pan clued him in. The evidence was especially damning since he remembered seeing cream and queso fresco in the fridge earlier that morning. Kokichi loved enchiladas, and he could only sit patiently for them, tortured by the smell the chili and tortillas only a foot away from him.

  
  
Kokichi sucked in air as he knocked over his drink, flailing to catch it before it tipped. Somehow it fell back to a stable position and the disaster averted. His mother would have killed him if she knew he was fiddling the drink to the point where he almost made a mess.

  
  
Yet there was a little part of him that spoke out, he couldn’t help but find it sad. Some of the most excitement he got out of his day was almost spilling his drink. It was a depressing thought that Kokichi wished he hadn’t brought to light.

  
  
It was true though. He was here, stationed close to his Battle Dome and he would stay there until either he left or they kicked him out. And the second option didn’t seem likely, his father had the position for twenty-five years before his disappearance.

  
  
The plate set before him startled him out of his thoughts, and he salivated at the generous serving of the spicy dish. He counted six-no-eight individual enchiladas, all stuffed with chicken and crumbled cheese and topped off with fresh cream. His drool almost dipped over his lips and onto the plate, his stomach opening up and feeling like a black hole.

  
  
He stuffed his face with the soft and hot tortillas, chewing through the tender meat and creamy cheese. It was heaven on earth and Kokichi would kill a man for more— 

  
His mother laughed and sat across from him, eating a much smaller portion with the same enthusiasm.

  
  
“Good?” she quietly asked, her small lilac eyes crinkling with her smile.

  
  
“Mmmhm!” was all Kokichi could manage through his mouthful of food.

  
  
Her laugh was like wind chimes in a soft breeze, tinkling and light. They continue to eat in a comfortable silence. Well, at least until their plates grow empty, and their bellies almost satiated. Then their pace eating slowed down to a near halt, and with it came room for conversation.

  
  
“So, how was the Frontier today?”

  
  
Kokichi struggled to find the right words. Of course, he’d never let that show on the outside though, instead pretending to still be chewing food as he gathered his thoughts.

  
  
“Easy, as usual.” Kokichi stuffed a bit more of the glorious home cooked food into his mouth as he tried to come up with another soft lie for his mother.

  
  
“Ya know that Kaito guy I talk about? He tried using some new Pokemon this time, but of course, it was useless.” A half-truth, Kaito did appear and he wasn’t a threat, but there was no way in hell he’d ever switch up his team.

  
  
Then again the same could be said for Kokichi. Not out of choice but because they were the only Pokemon he had.

  
  
His mother nodded along. “Wow, isn’t that strange. Hmm. Well, maybe a little change can go a long way.”

  
  
The boy nodded, yet somehow his mind dived straight back to that loss. That was a small change that felt like a massive impact on him. It made him think, it made him wonder, and worst of all—

  
  
It made him _dream_.

  
  
Yes, dream. Dream of things being different. Of him being able to actually have a team that was his. Or to have a journey of rediscovering himself! Kokichi was fifteen years old, and with his battling talent, he was more than eligible to go on a journey by himself—

  
  
“Hey, mom?” He started confidently, but as soon as he makes eye contact with her he regrets it.

  
  
He sees his mom, with her soft smile and quiet demeanor. She had always been the shy type, never one to complain and putting others before herself. Yet she always got the short end of the stick, her battling career ended once she became a housewife. She got abandoned by the husband in question for no reason at all. And now she devoted herself to her son, only to be left behind by him too?

  
  
She patiently waited for him to continue, a trait she always had even when he was being absolutely awful.

  
  
“Yes, dear?” She responded when the silence dragged on too long. She even changed her posture, one to be more open and motherly— clearly sensing the tension in his voice.

  
  
She was only getting older. And it didn’t help that she had started developing awful awful pain in her back. They had investigated and found it was a chronic disease with no real cure, much like thousands of other diagnoses. It wasn't until the pain traveled, and shot down the entirety of her left leg that it became insufferable. Sometimes it was so bad she couldn’t get out of bed by herself. All she would do was crawl, wincing in pain until she got her meds and her liniment. Then she would wobble her way to go make breakfast for the two of them.

  
  
“I…” He trailed off, his feelings and wants building up in his chest despite knowing how selfish it was. He finally broke eye contact and grabbed his sweating cup of lemonade.

  
  
Kokichi has so many dreams, but he knew he had to stay. For his mother.

  
  
“I loved the food today!” He yelled, all perky and full of too-wide smiles once more. “Thanks for making myyyyy favorite!”

  
  
His mother’s eyes twinkle in response and she slowly gets to her feet, rounding the corner and hugging her son. “Of course sweetheart. How about you go find something for us to watch while I clean up, alright?”

  
  
Kokichi can’t help but lie for the rest of the night until it is time to go up to his room.   
  


***

  
  
Kokichi found it hard to sleep that night.

  
  
He usually was too tired at the end of the day to do anything, easily letting fatigue shutting off his brain for the day. The second his head hit the pillow he’d be out like a light with no memories of dreams or anything but blackness. The next day he’d wake up ok and start the routine all over again. 

 

  
But since he ended earlier than usual he had time to do the most dreaded thing in existence, _reflect_ .   
  
Kokichi stared at the ceiling of the room, watching the faint glow of the plastic glow-in-the-dark stars that he’s had since he was five. They have lost their shine over time, but he couldn’t be bothered with changing them. He doesn’t even really use his room, the point made clear by the outdated posters and toys strewn about. Kokichi had collected novel things but hadn’t spent the time to actually put them up or change the layout. Laziness was a factor, but also the fact that he only came to sleep was another big one. Why put up things if you’re never going to see them or use them? It was just a waste.

  
  
_Maybe one day he’d put them up, but he couldn’t see a time where he wanted to._

  
  
And he missed his dad. It had been a year since he left. Kokichi doesn’t recall anything that could have tipped him off to his father's sudden disappearance. They seemed happy, and his parents never fought. Sure he could be a brat at times, but he never thought he’d be bad enough to drive his dad away. The man even left behind his entire Pokemon team! There was something wrong about the whole missing case. Something dreadful and sour sat with Kokichi every time he thought about it.

  
  
_Maybe, he was just tired of things? Tired of his life? Tired of monotony?_

  
  
He rolled off his bed and onto his feet, not bothering to turn on the light. The room was sparse, so it wasn’t like he couldn't navigate in the dark. Kokichi already knew what he was looking for anyways—

  
  
The teen rifled through his closet, going to the very back of the left corner to find a purple and grey satchel. It had a couple of stylized white pokeballs on it and the grey parts had glitter infused into the plastic. The purple was still rich, but dusty since he hadn't pulled it out in over a month.

  
  
Kokichi carried it back to his bed, feeling around for the zipper and opening it. His hand slipped into the bag and sorted through the items in there. He hadn't thought about setting off on a journey for a long time, and coupled with it being the wee hours of the morning made it a perfect time for a bad decision. Yes, the bad decision this time would be to allow himself to reminisce. The bag was still filled with old supplies, a couple of trainer handbooks and various survival gear. There are even some expired potions in there that he throw away. Finally, he got out the letter stashed away in one of the hidden pockets—

  
  
_For Kokichi,_ _  
_   
_Gonta so proud of Kokichi for finishing trainer school! Now Gonta and Kokichi can go out into Hoenn for Pokemon Journey. Gonta very excited to have friend to travel with, and Gonta is even more excited to start catching bugs for studying. Kokichi is very stro_ ng and will be good friend for trip. Gonta will see Kokichi early tomorrow, ok?

  
  
Kokichi pulled out another note, another friend from trainer school—

  
  
_Hey Kokichi,_ _  
_ _  
_ _Wow I can barely sleep! Isn't this so exciting?! We’re official Pokemon trainers now, meaning we can actually leave home and set off for Hoenn! Promise me we’ll do contests and have beautiful Pokemon that are as powerful as they are glamorous! Remember, we’re leaving bright and early tomorrow, so you better not oversleep this time!!!_ _  
_ _  
_ _Love,_   
Tsumugi 

  
Kokichi continued digging through all the letters, all from his classmates from four years ago. All the letters have sentiments, the pages filled with excitement to explore the new world and getting to have their own Pokemon. Some even talk about participating in tournaments and contests. Others promised to settle unfinished battles or wished for good luck. He even got a few kids hoping for the chance for their paths to cross again.

  
  
His eyes begin to water and he blinks them away. A glance at the clock told him that it was much too late to be emotional.

  
  
He sighed and carefully packed everything up neatly. Letters went back in their envelopes, and all the gear was placed perfectly. It was a fairly small bag so he had to be near to get all the crap back in. His eyes drooped with fatigue and he tried not to think about Shuichi or Gonta or Tsumugi or his dad.

  
  
He returned the bag to the lonely little corner in his closet and shuffled back to his bed. He plopped into it, gathering as many blankets as possible to wrap himself with. Again, he ends up staring at the ceiling at the fading glowing stars.

  
  
He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to sleep.

 


End file.
